Rain Check
by Souseiki
Summary: The Umbrella Scene never happened. That is all.
1. Chapter 1

"Um, hey."

Marinette turned towards the greeting before realizing who it was. Urgh, Chloe's friend again. She sniffed, turning her head away from him. Alright, it was a bit bratty but like she told Chloe this morning, Marinette was done putting up with her crap. From Chloe, from Chloe's friends, from whoever, whatever. Today was a new day. Today was a new Marinette. Today was a new Ladybug.

With this resolve in mind, she turned back around and realized that the blond was still standing there. He kept glancing at the car parked out front and then back at her, chewing his bottom lip. Marinette raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him to speak and get to whatever insult he had prepared for her. He may be The Gabriel Agreste's son, but that shouldn't give him a free pass to bully her like Chloe has done for the past four years.

The blond opened and closed his mouth several times, jumping when a particularly loud clap of thunder rang above the school. He seemed a bit hesitant and just short of meek, but so does Sabrina right before she starts speaking within an earshot of Chloe. Maybe Chloe has a type. Marinette lightly snorted at the thought, glancing at the doors and hoping her newfound (not-kwami) friend would finish with whatever she was discussing with Mme. Bustier soon.

Ask and you shall receive.

"Marinette!" Alya called loudly, taking full advantage of the empty hallways between them. Marinette started to walk towards her, pleased to finally get away from Chloe's friend.

"W-wait! I wanted-"

Once again, she found herself facing the blond. Oh, there's the insult coming. Holding her bag over her front like a shield, she began to walk backwards and gave him a short wave. "Bye-bye," she stated firmly before turning around for the last time.

Alya met her halfway, clutching a slim binder to her chest. "New scoop Marinette! Did you know that this school has next to nothing regarding current events? No newspapers, no newsletters, no morning announcements, zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada."

She cocked her hip to the side, with one hand on her hip and the other holding out the binder for Marinette to see. "So, I talked to Mme. Bustier about starting a school blog. She was completely into it. Did you know that she was a journalist before she started teaching lit classes? Sooooo cool, right?"

Alya flipped the binder open to reveal a neat stack of forms. The first page was empty, save for numbered lines and two lone words on the top-left corner. "This is the petition to start a club. Even though it's online and could be handled by one person, Mme. Bustier encouraged me to treat this like the real deal. I need at least ten students to sign it during Club Fest and mean it. You know, to write their own articles or post submissions." She paused, slightly lowering the binder. "I was hoping if you could join?"

Despite Alya's bravado and excitement, she knew that she was still the New Girl. Her father's job required the whole family to move every few years, sometimes months. Alya was pretty much desensitized from the label and all that came with it, so she was used to initiating projects by herself on the fly. However, she and Marinette really seemed to hit it off. They were both going to Marinette's house to hang out after all. Inspired by Paris' new superheroes, Alya herself wanted her own partner in crime.

In another lifetime, the girls would have been sidetracked by Marinette's newfound crush on Adrien Agreste. Marinette would have stayed on the steps until Alya joined her. They would have walked together under the protection of an iconic black umbrella, dissecting each second of the scene and listing off tidbits about him from Parisian tabloids. Alya would have forgotten to mention the school blog to Marinette until after she coded the whole damn thing later that night. Coulds, woulds, and shoulds. Instead of all that, this happened.

Marinette grinned and fished into her bag for her favorite pink pen. "Sure, Chief. Sign me up!"

After scribbling her name underneath Alya's, Marinette stepped back to look at the budding journalist once more. Alya wore a matching grin on her face as she tucked the binder safely into her school bag. From the same bag she pulled out a long raincoat. Glancing at the weather outside, her grin widened.

"It's no umbrella, but I'm definitely willing to share if you are," she said, offering a sleeve for Marinette to hold. Once they made sure that all their stuff was settled, both girls stepped out into the storm. They laughed as they ran through the rain and shrieked whenever they stepped in a puddle that was a little too deep. By the time they reached the bakery, everything from the knees and down was soaking wet. Fortunately, not even the feel of moist socks clinging to their toes could kill their mood. They began to remove their socks and shoes while standing on the storefront's welcome mat. Meanwhile, Marinette's parents stepped out from behind the counter.

"Hi, mama! Hi, papa!" Marinette hopped towards them with one foot and greeted each parent with a kiss on the cheek. She breathed a quick and victorious 'yes!' when she finally freed herself from her last soggy sock. Gesturing towards Alya with said sock, she introduced her parents to her friend. "This is Alya. She's in my class this year and wanted to see some of the projects that I'm working on."

Said girl finally removed her shoes and socks, padding over to the Dupain-Cheng family. While Alya and Marinette's parents exchanged pleasantries, Marinette went off to grab Alya's things from the storefront mat. "I'm going to put these in the dryer. Do you want to add your pants? I have a pair of shorts that you can borrow."

"Sure, let me help you-"

Sabine interjected, pushing a silver tray into Alya's hands. "Marinette has it covered. While she's busy with that, we can choose what snacks you'd like to bring up with you. Do you like chocolate? We have croissants and cookies. Oh and there's some fresh macaroons. Marinette said that you liked our green tea ones..."

By the time Marinette reached the living room with a change of shorts for Alya, she found her sitting on the couch and holding what looked like a sample platter of the whole bakery. Marinette giggled at the faraway look on the other girl's face. Alya turned her head slowly.

"Is this going to be a thing from now on?" she asked, looking at all the sweets before her. Marinette let out another giggle and reached for the tray. In its place, she left the shorts.

"Down the hall is the bathroom, and up these stairs is my bedroom. Meet me up there after tossing your pants into the dryer in there," she pointed at each location as she listed off the rooms. Both girls went their separate ways.

Marinette put the tray down on her lounge chair, glancing at the floor door to make sure it was safe to talk to Tikki. The red kwami flew out from her jacket, nuzzling herself to the girl's cheek.

"I'm so sorry that you were in there the whole day, Tikki. Do you need anything?" she asked, her eyebrows scrunched up in concern. Tikki flew up and patted the crease that formed on Marinette's forehead, ready to reassure her chosen. She then noticed the tray and was a goner. The kwami zipped towards the pile of cookies, swallowing her first of many in one bite. Mind you, these weren't bite-sized fun-sized cookies. They were actually one of those big ones the size of a baby's head. Watching Tikki eat something five times her size was terrifying. Then, the door creaked open and she was actually gone. Same with all the cookies and a scone.

"Thanks for the shorts, Marinette!" Alya's head peaked out from the door. She stood on the stairs for a second to look around the pink room and resumed walking up. There was a desk or three; she wasn't sure because of all the different fabrics covering them. There was a chaise that Marinette was sitting in. And there was a ladder leading up to a bed with another trapdoor above it. It was all very coordinated. "Wow, your room is so cool. I've never seen these designs before in stores. Did you make all of this?" She took out her phone before remembering where she was.

"Tell me if I sound super sketch, but is it okay if I took a panorama of your room? It's like Ikea and Barbie's dream house had a legit love child together."

Marinette scratched the back of her head with a smile and closed eyes, "Um, sure? And thanks?" As Alya turned in a circle, Marinette glanced down at Tikki's hiding spot. The kwami was sitting inside of a half constructed purse that the young designer deemed as a lost cause several projects ago. Tikki flitted between the purse and the tray, tucking away more sweets.

"And tada! Check it out, Marinette-oh damn, girl. Is this why your mom gave us so much? I was really hoping to taste one of those cookies," Alya teased as she handed her the phone.

They spent the rest of the afternoon sharing each other's hobbies and interests. Marinette learned about the different places that Alya lived in and the fashion trends of each country. Alya learned about the gifts Marinette liked to make for her classmates and the probability of them joining the school blog.

"-and Max could definitely help you out with coding-" A text tone from Alya's phone stopped the other girl midsentence.

Alya shook her head and laughed, "My parental units request my presence. I suppose I could entertain them." They walked down the stairs and collected their things from the dryer. After thanking Marinette's parents, Alya found herself and her host standing outside the bakery. "Thank you so much for hanging out with me. I cannot repeat enough how cool I think your room is. And your parents. And of course, you," she punctuated the sentence by giving her a quick hug. They said their goodbyes, and Marinette was left standing with her thoughts.

"Wow, I have a friend..."

-0-

"Wow, I have a friend..."

Adrien murmured to himself, thinking about the last few days. Plagg. And Nino. And Ladybug. So many new people in his tiny world, all at once. In the safety of the car, he watched through the windows as the rain poured down on the Parisian streets. He saw pairs and clusters of people huddled together under shared umbrellas and other makeshift coverings. Adrien recognized one of pink and black blobs as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He still felt bad about the misunderstanding with the gum and didn't quite know how to apologize for something he didn't do. Nino said to be honest, but how was he supposed to do that if he couldn't get a word through to her.

Glancing down at his phone, Adrien saw a text message from Nino asking if he wanted to Skype while playing Town of Salem. The blond introduced him to the game earlier that day, eager to finally have someone he knew to join in the chat. Nino grinned and punched his arm lightly, "Our class used to play that game all the time a few years back. I think Juleka called it Werewolves? But yeah, I'm down."

He continued to text Nino about the other online games they should play together, and by the time they exchanged Steam accounts, Adrien found himself in the house's parking garage. Grabbing his umbrella and bag, the model stepped out and beelined to his room with a hurried "thanks!" to the Gorilla.

Turning on his monitor, Adrien found himself face-to-face with his mother. He smiled, touched the lips on the screen with his fingertips, and poked his own forehead.

"Ooh, she's pretty. Who is that, your _girlfriend_?"

Adrien looked down at the kwami poking his head out of his jacket collar. The blond smiled, shaking his head as he scratched Plagg behind the ears, "No, that's my mother when she was younger."

There was a beat of silence as both of them stared at the computer screen, with Adrien's hand now turned to hold the kwami in his open palms. He gave the picture one last smile before be began walking towards the television area in his room. On the table was an assortment of cheeses and one lone remote.

"I was unsure what other-" Plagg was gone from his hand and already at the mini buffet "-cheeses you liked so I asked the chefs to bring up a little of everything we had," he paused and picked up the remote to place it next to the kwami, "I also have Netflix."

Plagg paused midbite and sniffed the remote, "Can I eat it?"

The blond chuckled, explaining how to use the remote, "-and that's how you return to the main menu. Just please don't mess with my anime watch list."

Leaving the kwami to his literally own devices, Adrien returned to his desk and grabbed a pair of earphones on the way. Settling down, he grinned when he saw Nino was online. He pressed the video call button and Nino appeared on his main monitor.

"Hey man, how's it going? I saw you and Marinette talking before I left school. Is everything squared out?"

Nino frowned when Adrien shook his head with a dejected look on his face. "Don't take it personally, dude. Chloe's been on everyone's case since we were in diapers. Marinette doesn't vibe well with Chloe or her bull, but that shouldn't ruin things for you two. She'll see that you're a cool guy, just wait."

Adrien smiled, thanking his friend. Both of them pulled up the Town of Salem site, waiting for others to join their game. The blond looked back at the Skype window and grinned. Behind Nino, he saw a poster of a familiar rock star. "Nino, you listen to Jagged Stone?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, Marinette shared his music with some of us a few years ago. Once you make nice with her, definitely mention the times she dressed like him. She'll turn red faster than you can say 'Sticks and Bones'," Nino laughed, "That's one of the songs she really liked and is my favorite. What's yours?"

The boys spent the rest of the afternoon playing games and chatting. Nino talked about the different types of music their classmates got him into and what each of the kids were like. Adrien talked about the Steam games he's replayed over the years and his favorite shows.

Nino laughed, "Well, that explains why I heard Japanese in the background."

Wait, what.

The blond removed an earbud and pouted. Yup, that was definitely the Gurren Laggan opening sequence. He was in the middle of an episode, too. Dammit, Plagg.

And the night continued on, Japanese dub and all

By the next morning, Adrien found himself slouched next to his keyboard with a Skype chat log full of gibberish. He shook his head, the kink in his neck making him regret the action instantly. Putting his computer on sleep mode, he next went over to the television. The screen was black, turned off by a groggy Adrien earlier that night. He found a passed out kwami lying face first into the table. Surrounding him were empty dishes and discarded packaging. Adrien threw away the wrappers and then began stacking the plates.

This was the first time he ever did something like this. Sure, he played video games and was guilty of all-nighters despite his modelling. However, those all-nighters were usually for marathoning Netflix while curled up on his couch. He never talked to someone until they both passed out before. Actually, he never Skyped anyone outside of work before. And he certainly never had such a pain in the neck before, either. Adrien hummed as he put the dishes in the service elevator and began preparing for school.

Today there was supposed to be a Club Fest after classes ended. Last night, Nino told him how every year he and Kim try to start a breakdancing club but always got shot down by Principal Democles. This devolved to talking about what other clubs the school had to offer. Adrien was excited to find out that there was a fencing club and wanted to sign up. Unfortunately, Club Fest conflicted with a photo shoot.

Fully dressed and packed, Adrien crouched down to collect Plagg from the table. After a few ear scratches, the kwami was good to go. Before he knew it, Adrien was at his desk, talking with Nino and Alya about the school blog that the latter was starting up.

Alya currently had her earbuds temporarily connected to Nino's phone, listening to the mix Adrien heard the night before. "Wow, this is _so sick_ ," she said, tapping her fingers to the beat, "And you said you usually make a few sets a week?"

Nino crossed his arms and leaned forward on her desk, "Yup. And I'd totally be down to making some for your blog. Alya, right?"

The girl gave a quick "yup" as she pulled a binder from her back, opening it to the first page. Three names were already on the list. "Oh, sweet. You got Marinette and Nate to join. Congrats on doing the impossible."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. Marinette's usually busy with sewing club. And Nathanaël doesn't do clubs. He and I always mess around, trying to see who's the least involved in class. Mme. B messed me up this year when she moved me up front-no offence dude, but now we're even."

Adrien shook his head smiled, "None taken. What else are you looking for on the school blog?"

Alya hesitated before speaking, "Well, depends on what you have to offer. Also, not gonna lie. I'm kind of not looking forward to club meetings if your harpy friend over there tags along."

Nino saw Adrien's slight frown at the label before speaking up for him, "No worries. My man over here would be great for video game and tv show recs."

"No can do. I'm already set on asking Max over there to do just that," she gestured with her thumb towards their suspender-clad classmate. The journalist saw the boys' slumped shoulders and conceded, "Well, you can still sign up if you really want to. We'll figure something out."

Both boys grinned, rummaging through their bags for a pen. By the time they signed the petition, it was five minutes before class started. The only person missing was Marinette.

At 9:00, the class began. At 9:30, Alya had stopped glancing from the door to the right side of her desk. At 10:00, the teacher handed out worksheets for the class to completed. At 10:30, a disheveled Marinette creaked the door open. Mme. Bustier didn't look up from her clipboard as she handed her tardy student a worksheet. The girl trudged to her desk, sidestepping Chloe's outstretched foot. Placing her bag underneath her seat, Marinette placed her head on the cool wooden surface of her desk and began scratching what she hoped were the proper answers.

By the time lunch break rolled around, most of the students were out of the classroom. The only two people remaining were Marinette and Adrien. The former waved off her friend, assuring her that she was fine and would head back to the bakery soon. The latter declined his friend's demand offer to eat the at her daddy's hotel, explaining that Nathalie was expecting him home.

Putting his bag on his shoulder, Adrien glanced at the tired lump before him. He sat back down, placing him at her eye level.

"Um, hey."

No answer.

"Um, grunt if you're awake please."

A muffled string of words followed.

"I, ah, wanted to apologize about yesterday-" the hunched figure began moving to sit up "-oh, you don't have to get up! I had a pretty long night, too. So, you can continue, uh, sitting where you are?"

She settled for nestling her chin on her crossed arms with her eyes trained on him.

"The gum...I was just trying to take it off, I swear," he scratched the back of his neck, "I've never done any of this before, going to school and whatnot. It's all so new to me. I-I'd like to be friends. If that's okay with you."

Silence followed.

Finally, Marinette sat up and uncrossed her arms. She scooped her bag off the floor before facing him again. Holding the strap of her bag with one hand, she used the other to pat Adrien's cheek.

"It's okay, handsome boy."

She began to retract her hand and paused. The stunned boy's eyes followed the hand before he got cross-eyed. He felt a poke on his forehead.

By the time Adrien processed everything, Marinette was gone and Nathalie was calling his phone.

Dazed, he walked out of the classroom.

-0-

 _Wow, I have a friend..._

 _...so why does it feel like I missed something big?_


	2. Chapter 2

"Spots off, Tikki!"

A flash of pink light illuminated the room, replacing Paris' new hero with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She caught Tikki in her cupped hands, being mindful of the loft's lack of railing on her bed. Carefully going down the ladder, Marinette made her way towards her chaise. Tucking the kwami in on one of the cushions with a whispered "good night" in the air, the young girl glanced at the electric clock on her desk. Yeah, it definitely felt like 3:17am.

She had been patrolling the city throughout the night, keeping watch for any akuma or ruckus in general. With the help of Tikki's mental link, Ladybug tried to reach her partner through her yoyo's communication app. No response. She tried repeatedly, pausing to call every three to five blocks. Still, no response. Fortunately, she found nothing amiss that night.

Unfortunately, her body was paying the consequences.

Marinette felt the weight of every step as she ascended the ladder to her bed. Shoulders tensed, feet sore, and abdominals aching, she gracefully flopped herself down like a ragdoll on top of her sheets. She adjusted the pillows underneath her head and closed her eyes, waiting for (death's) sleep's embrace.

…

Marinette tossed and turned, failing to find a comfortable position.

…

Marinette strained her neck to see that it was 3:28.

…

Marinette took one of her pillows and hugged it. More tossing and turning.

…

3:34. It was going to be a long night. Marinette grumbled, kicking the pillow she was clutching to the end of her bed. 

BEEP BEEP BEEP

7:45. Ha ha, no.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

8:45. Five more minutes wouldn't be so bad.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

9:45. Marinette gathered enough energy to climb out of bed and to unplug her alarm clock. As she climbed back into bed, she paused, stared, and fixated upon a spot on the bed. No, it was a literal spot. A red spot. The girl calmly went back to bed and screamed into her pillow. All she wanted to do was sleep. She tossed and turned a few more times before she gave up, surrendering to the start of her day.

Glaring half-heartedly at her still unplugged alarm clock, Marinette went to grab her phone and a towel. If she was already late, she might as well be fashionably late. She clicked on a thirty minute playlist, one she usually used on runs, and closed the bathroom door behind her.

By the time she got out, Marinette was aware enough to realize that she was not going to be fashionable and she was very late. First her period, then she realized she ran out of clean clothes, and now her hair wouldn't cooperate. Oh, and she had a bitchin' headache. The fashionista gave up and headed off to school.

Class time swept through in a blur, the cacophony of voices (namely Chloe's) penetrating her skull. Finally, the noises stopped. Except for one. "Um, grunt if you're awake please."

The voice was firm yet polite, but most importantly, gentle to her delicate ears. The voice continued, mentioning something about apologizing. Realizing that it would be rude to ignore it (especially since she didn't remember anyone who's personally wronged her recently), she looked up. Blue met green. Oh yeah, Adrien Agreste. Asshole put gum on her chair.

"The gum...I was just trying to take it off, I swear," he paused. Oh, okay. Oops, maybe not. "I've never done any of this before, going to school and whatnot. It's all so new to me. I-I'd like to be friends. If that's okay with you."

Marinette felt conflicted because on one hand his words sounded so formal and whole-hearted that it had to be a script from a cheesy cartoon. But on the other hand, his eyes were full of so much sincerity and apprehension that she was getting second-hand anxiety. Marinette began patting his face, trying to wipe the worry from his face. She didn't need another headache trying to sleuth whether he was for real or not, so she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"It's okay, handsome boy." Oh, okay. Where did that come from? Did she actually say that? It is true. Oh well, better just roll with it. She stopped patting his face, seeing it morph through a multitude of emotions. Maybe he comes with an off button?

Marinette prodded the spot on his forehead not covered with his banana hair. His face froze. So, that's a yes for the off button thing. The designer hummed, pleased with her discovery. She walked towards the door, shooting a "bye bye" over her shoulder. The girl was aware enough to know that she ought to head home for lunch.

Swaying towards her locker, Marinette found Alya waiting for her. Lifting her hand in greeting, she turned to her locker. Aftering fumbling with the combination three times, the dark-haired girl outstretched her hand to grab...nothing. Oh yeah, fashionably late. No time for lockers. Alya peeked behind the door to stare as well. "Girl, are you sure you're okay?"

"Peachy, beautiful girl," Marinette declared, outstretching her arms and pressing her hands firmly on Alya's shoulders. Oh, damn. There it is again. At least she's being truthful. The reporter shook her head, grabbing both her wrists and closing her locker door. "Hey, I wasn't finished with that. And where are we going?"

"You can go back later, I promise. And I'm taking you to a magical garden where you can get some beauty sleep."

"But beauty is the eye of the beholder, so what if I never wake up because as soon as I look one way, someone else might see me as ugly. Did you know that when my mom was born, grandma Po Po told the doctor to send her back because there's no way her baby could be that ugly. Yeah, television _lies_. We're all just big grape people that grew from prune babies."

Throughout the rambling, Alya led her to a bench and helped Marinette sit down. Alya sat herself down, only to have the sleep-deprived girl curl up beside her leg.

She shook her head and chuckled, taking her laptop out of her bag. Although she had her mind set on asking Max to work on the school blog, she still had the Ladyblog to manage.

This is where her classmates found her nearly an hour later. Max, along with an athletic looking guy and the skater girl from the back, approached the bench.

"Wow, Marinette is Marin-out," the shortest of the three stated, sitting beside said girl. Without missing a beat, Marinette adjusted herself so that she was curled towards her other friend. She promptly sat up, flopped her belly into the pink-haired girl's lap, and buried her face in her crossed arms. The more coherent of the two untied the other's pigtails, combing through her hair as a soothing gesture.

"'Mma wake," Marinette mumbled feebly.

"This can't be comfortable."

"'Mm noooottt..."

Meanwhile, Max and Kim were introducing themselves to Alya. "So, I heard that you were seeking my assistance."

Kim leaned on Max's shoulders and crossed his arms, failing to look nonchalant. "Yeah, for a new club, right? I heard you talking with Nathanaël about it. I bet Nino and I will get more people to join our breakdancing club this year than your school blog club."

"Nino is also in this club, is he not? That would present quite a conflict of interest," Max adjusted his glasses before turning to Alya, "Please email me any inquires and additional information as needed." He pulled out a business card from his satchel and handed it to her. He swatted Kim away, and they walked towards their classroom.

Alya turned to the remaining (cognizant) person, confusion etched on her face. The pink-haired girl quirked the corner of her lip upwards and let out a laugh. "You just got a green light from them, you know. Like a buy one get one sort of deal. I'm Alix, by the way," she said while rummaging through her backpack. Alix pulled out a thermos, pressing it lightly on Marinette's cheek. "Come on, it's your favorite."

Finally, with tremendous effort, Marinette opened her eyes. "With marshmallows?"

"Exactly six."

She smiled, grabbed the thermos, and sat up. After a few undignified gulps, Marinette looked between her two friends. "How bad?"

"Remember that time you did two all-nighters in a row to write then rewrite your chem lab because your computer died and Max couldn't help because the motherboard was shot? Worse than that."

Marinette set the thermos down, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Urgh, this is such a mess. How long do we have until class?"

The warning bell answered her question. The three girls stood up and walked to finish their classes. Alya, in particular, was eager for the day to finish. She and Marinette had worked on a banner the night before, and the reporter couldn't wait to set it up. With this thought in mind, classes sped by and then let out for Club Fest. All the students rushed towards the courtyard, either to set up or sign up. 

Pinning the banner to the front of her table, Alya glanced at the other clubs around her. The courtyard was full of activity, clusters of people fighting to lay claim on the prime tables near the school entrance. She and a few others chose to grab tables closest to their previous classes.

Nino and Kim were to her left, organizing a mock DJ booth. To her right, a dark-haired girl with a metallic headband was setting a series of books down in front of a pile of stuffed animals. Upon closer inspection, the stuffed animals were people and the books were Japanese comics. However, Alya was not the one doing the inspecting.

A group of girls approached, a matching sports bottle in each hand. A wavy-haired girl stepped forward, grabbing the attention of the flittering girl before her. The dark-haired girl paused and gave a small smile, "Hi, guys. What's-"

"What's going on? You tell me, Mireille. First, you keep flaking on pilates. Then, you start wearing that scratched up headband like those ninja weirdos from class. And now, now this-" she gestured her bottle towards the table as if it personally offended her distant great-aunt.

"I texted you that I would help set up for pilates club after I helped out with anime club..."

"Don't worry about it, Mireille." The girl punctuated her sentence with another careless wave of her sports bottle.

If you're physically active or happened to take advantage of those freebies from college, you know that these types of bottles rarely leak. Condensate and perspire like the world's worst poker player on trial, yes. But leaking, no. Well, that doesn't mean a damn thing if the damn girl forgot to screw the damn lid on properly after refilling it when class ended.

To everyone's surprise, water drenched everything on the table. Soggy books, soggy plushies, soggy banner, soggy soggy soggy. The wavy-haired girl had the decency to allow a flicker of guilt cross her face. It was soon replaced with a haughty expression, "There, you've helped. Come on, girls."

The group hesitated before following the wavy-haired girl. Mireille looked at the table, biting her lip. Her eyes stung, and her chest felt tight. She felt a hand on her shoulder and flinched. She didn't need them to see her like this. Mireille broke from the grasp and ran. There was a roaring in her ears, drowning out the distant "wait!" behind her. Running to her now abandoned classroom, she closed the door before sinking down to the floor.

She knew that the dolls would dry. So would the banner. She could replace the manga. So...

"Hello, Animatrix. I am Hawkmoth."

 _So, why not replace her friends?_

-0-

Marinette splashed her face with some cold water and looked up at the mirror in front of her. Today was quite a day. Thanks to Alix, she regained enough energy to get through the rest of her classes. She also regained enough of her memories to realize she said some embarrassing things to Alya and Adrien. It wasn't even their first week, and here she was babbling and poking and urgh. She said as much to Tikki while drying her hands. They were alone in the girl's bathroom, with little worry of interruptions because of Club Fest.

"What's done is done. What's said is said. Did they act any differently after lunch?" Tikki chirped, flittering back and forth. Her chosen paused, paper towel hovering over her face. Alya was more concerned than impressed that The Thermos worked its wonders. Adrien, she didn't get to talk to. However, she greeting him bye-bye when classes ended, poking the same spot as before. (She didn't see him drop his textbook on his foot.)

Marinette shook her head, throwing away the paper towel. "No, they didn't..." she conceded. Tikki gave her an eskimo kiss (impressive, considering she didn't have a nose) and flew into her jacket. So, maybe the kwami was right. She shouldn't let the past dictate how she acts in the future. Instead, she should do what feels right. With that resolve, she threw away the paper towel and walked out-

-the door. Marinette took a moment to adjust her bag before the classroom door next to her splintered in half. A grey-blue figured sprinted away, arms dangling behind her. Marinette looked down at her jacket with a frown.

"Akuma?"

"Akuma."

She glanced around the area before returning to the bathroom. "Tikki, Spots On!"

Just like her previous transformations, Marinette felt the magic seeping through her body. It was like goosebumps on her skin, except it rolled over her like crashing waves by the ocean. A non-existent breeze kissing her skin and washing over her body. From there, the magic wove into her muscles. She felt strong. She felt fast. She felt indestructible. And somehow, the magic made its way to her heart and her mind. She willed herself to stand proud and to stand tall.

Glancing at the mirror from before, all Marinette saw was herself covered with a flimsy mask. She sighed, shoulders slumped. Then, she remembered her hesitation with Stoneheart and Alya. Just because she was afraid in the past doesn't mean she should be afraid now. Straightening her body, she opened the door and headed towards the akuma victim.

It didn't take long. Numerous tables were upturned, some by the attacks and some by students to use as makeshift shields. In the center of the courtyard stood the grey-blue figure from before. She had stark white hair and a fan in her hand. Ladybug recognized her as Mireille Caquet, a fellow member of sewing club.

Instead of her usual light blue blouse, she wore a billowing blue kimono. She wore only one side while the other half helped tie the kimono close. Underneath, she wore a grey skin-tight bodysuit. The kimono sleeve was wide, hiding her hand. Sticking out from the sleeve was her metallic fan. She used the fan to knock down tables and students alike with gusts of wind. Every few slashes, she would close the fan and point it at an unsuspecting victim. A paper tag would fly out the folded weapon, sticking to the person's chest.

The first to fall was a black-haired boy from swimming club. His shout turned into a shriek as he felt his swim shorts fade. In its place, he wore a form-fitting Japanese sailor uniform. He held a panicked look on his face, frantically feeling himself up with shaking hands as his newly formed breasts began to inflate and suffocate him. Next, a girl from book club shoved her boyfriend away from an attack and was hit in the process. She rocketed through the air from the sheer pressure of her nosebleed.

Both Nino and Kim were hit next. The DJ's clothes changed into a sleeveless jumpsuit, and his hat fell off due to the platinum blond hair that shot out of his skull. Nino crouched down, his legs spread apart. He held his wrists together, a white light slowly forming in his cupped palms. "KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" Meanwhile, his companion looked exactly the same except he held a deck of cards in his hands. However, his voice dropped faster than a truck driver's pants at a pitstop as he proclaimed "the heart of the cards" would prevail.

All around the courtyard, trope after trope manifested itself upon the students. Uke. Seme. Tsundere. Yandere. Bishonen. Megane. All relatively harmless and a bit quirky, but man wait until she got to the tenticle porn.

In short, they really needed Chat Noir right now.

-0-

Adrien hummed, gathering his belongings from his locker. After talking with Nathalie during lunch, he was allotted fifteen minutes for Club Fest. He was surprised to discover that his current instructor also oversaw the fencing club at the school. With that information, he convinced her that it would be better to take lessons at school with others rather than at home alone. He may or may not have said that Club Fest sign-ups were mandatory (he honestly didn't know). She may or may not have saw right through that statement (she honestly didn't care).

He glanced around the locker room, making sure that they were alone. All clear. Opening his bag, his nose was assaulted with the smell of camembert. Plagg flew eye level to him, a demanding look on his face. "I'm hungry. Got anything, kid?" The pocket-sized god flew away and inspected his locker. All clear. "I was in there for _hours_. How do you expect me to function? Actually, how do you expect me to go on after you almost crushed me with that book of yours?"

The blond bit the inside of his cheek, remembering why he dropped the textbook. With how sleepy Marinette looked, he was worried that she would think that his apology was a dream. However, the Marinette that returned from lunch was significantly more awake. He still thought she forgot about the whole incident until she poked him on her way out the door. And he was so sure he only hit his foot and successfully protected his bag. Judging by Plagg's cranky disposition, he was wrong. He shook his head and tried to appease his friend.

"Fifteen more minutes sound good to you?" he asked, fanning away the smell coming from his bag, "I'm sure that the photo shoot will have a nice snack table with lots of cheese. Who knows, maybe Club Fest has a cheese club with samples."

It turned out that they did. After visiting the fencing club at the front of the school, the model made his way down the tables. He found the food and whine club in the middle of the courtyard, its booth brimming with hors d'oeuvres. The person hosting the table handed him a toothpick while complaining about the clubs that took the prime spots. She tried to tell him about her good-for-nothing boyfriend that left her alone at the table, but then Adrien found his classmates. As Adrien walked away from the girl, he pretended to eat the cube with one hand. His other hand slipped the cheese under the flap of his bag and into the kwami's waiting arms.

Nino greeted him, offering the blond a fistbump. "Hey, man. Glad you can make it. Diggin' it so far?" he pointed to the boy beside him, "This is Kim. Kim, Adrien." Kim gave a thumbs up without looking at them, engrossed in a conversation with Principal Democles.

"Now, young man. I distinctly remember denying this club every year that you've been here."

"You gotta keep trying, right? And look at these signatures-!"

"And look at the reputation of this school. We take pride on our progressive academia, but we also take pride in our traditions."

"You say that every year. If you agreed sooner, we'd've been a tradition by now."

"I will not have _street dancing_ as part of this school."

"Well, if you let us dance inside, it wouldn't be on the streets..."

The two continued to bicker. It was a timeless argument, almost feeling like a routine.

All four were shaken out of their conversations by screams peppered throughout the courtyard. They looked up in the sky and saw a floating entity gazing at the students below. Adrien stared in disbelief at the female version of Sakata Gintoki. And was that a Konoha headband in her hand? With a wave of her (definitely not a headband) fan, she knocked down the nearest table. Several banners flew off as well due to the gust of wind, breakdancing club's included.

Adrien ran to one of the hopefully empty classrooms as Nino and Kim ran towards Alya. The reporter had her phone trained on not only the approaching villain but the approaching hero as well. "Alya, you dumbass!" Kim yelled as he threw her over his shoulder and ran towards the entrance. She elbowed him in the ear, trying to squirm away.

"Hey, watch the language. I'm trying to keep the Ladyblog PG," she snapped. She was no longer facing the battle scene, but thankfully front-facing cameras existed. On her screen, she saw one of the paper tags headed their way. "Incoming!" she yelled. The warning was too late for Nino. Through her phone, she saw him change into-oh my god, is he Goku and wow he looks pretty fly with blond hair. As for Kim, he quickly threw her over an upturned table before being hit himself.

In short, they really needed Chat Noir right now.

* * *

A/N: I've been busy with my semester wrapping up. Thank you so much for the reviews. They've cheered me up the past few days. :)


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